What Happened Between Bryson DeChambeau and His Caddie?
By Liam McKeone
Bryson DeChambeau will embark upon his defense of the Rocket Mortgage Classic this weekend. News broke Thursday that he'll be doing so without the man who was by his side for last year's victory. In a surprising development, DeChambeau and caddie Tim Tucker have parted ways. Ben Schomin from Cobra will be his replacement for the weekend.
Tucker was on DeChambeau's bag for all the practice rounds this week, making the sudden announcement that much more shocking. No Laying Up first reported the news, and Golf Channel's Ryan Lavner confirmed it.
No Laying Up later reported that Tucker quit.
This obviously begs the question of what exactly happened here. No Laying Up's original tweet said there's more to the story, but we have nothing yet. It is, however, unusual for a caddie to quit directly before a tournament and one that would likely bring a big payday considering what happened last year.
Caddies don't hit the shots, but Tucker has been on DeChambeau's bag for all of his successes over the last few years. He has played some part in helping DeChambeau reshape his game with his famously long drives and contributed to eight tour victories. The fact that they not only separated, but Tucker reportedly quit outright, is quite something.
It's a story worth monitoring, and how DeChambeau performs this weekend will certainly be worth watching.
UPDATE: DeChambeau told Michael Collins of ESPN that Tucker did not quit, but the two are taking a break. Cue the Friends gif.